SIX PLAYING MATCHMAKER

     Bram was not afraid of the Weasley twins. They needed him too much for them to ever enact a plan of revenge that would thoroughly burn their bridge, he knew this. Of course, he knew this. Still, he was now living in constant fear of whatever the hell they meant when they said they were going to get him back for the aging potion. In Bram's defense, he told them it probably wasn't going to work. Still, they never really listened, did they? He doesn't know why he expected any better from them.

Sitting in the dining hall, he is only half paying attention to whatever Dumbledore is saying mainly because he is hyper-focused on the twins and whatever they're whispering about two tables across the room. He is brought to attention when there's a load of cheering around him and someone from their table -- one of the Beuxbatons girls -- stands. Oh, right, the champions. He had almost forgotten that was a thing that was happening even though it was the tournament's fault the twins wanted revenge on him in the first place.

"What's happening?" he whispered to Skyler, who, unlike him, was actually paying attention to the champions being chosen.

"Fleur Delacour is the champion for Bauxbatons, Viktor Krum for Dumrstrang, we're about to find out Hogwarts. Think it'll be the twins? Ha, that image of them with their beards is going to be burned into my brain forever," Skyler chuckled lightly as she turned to face Dumbledore, her hand resting in Bram's lap absentmindedly. As he mindlessly traced her fingertip with his, he understood why people thought they were dating. Looking over the Gryffindor table, he noticed one of the twins -- it looked to be Fred, but it was always hard to tell from a distance -- looking over at him. For some reason, feeling that gaze, he felt the need to push Skyler's hand from his lap. The girl hardly noticed, but part of him still felt bad.

He broke his unofficial staring contest with Fred just as Cedric Diggory's name was called, but that was expected by pretty much everyone. He was only a couple of years older than them, but since he was in Hufflepuff they hardly interacted. He seemed nice enough and younger students seemed to follow him around like he was their older brother. It was sweet, Bram figured, but he knew he would get annoyed if that was him. Maybe that's why Cedric was over in Hufflepuff and Bram donned the bronze and blue. That was that he supposed. He would root for Hogwarts, of course, but the tournament wasn't really anything he was looking forward to. It was just another weird thing that would happen at Hogwarts. After all, something weird seemed to be happening every year as of late.

Speaking of weird, the goblet in the center of the hall lit up red another time and judging by the reaction of those in the room, that was very much not supposed to happen. One more piece of paper floated through the air and into Dumbledore's hand.

"Harry Potter," he announces grimly. There are immediately murmurs throughout the hall because there are three schools and there should not be four champions -- especially when one of the champions is hardly fifteen. He eyes the confusion at the Gryffindor table as Harry reluctantly stands, walking stiffly into the chambers where the other champions had disappeared to. Once he was gone, Dumbledore addressed the room once more, "Let the feast commence!"

Bram, who had been starving, wiped the incident from his mind as he began to help himself to the dinner that was filling the plates in front of him. Skyler, however, was not satisfied as she exclaimed, "Dude, what the hell? How come the twins who are just a few months shy of seventeen don't get to put their names in, but fucking Harry Potter gets chosen? That's ridiculous. Dumbledore is always making exceptions for him, it seems. Kinda unfair to the rest of us, if you ask me."

The boy just shrugged, "I mean, maybe he'll die in the tournament, and then he won't be a problem anymore."

"Bram!" she gasped, "That's morbid. No one is going to die in the tournament, Dumbledore wouldn't allow it."

"Well, I don't know what solution you want from me!" he chuckled, nudging the girl with his shoulder, "Harry's almost died every year anyway, just ask the twins! He's always getting into trouble, maybe this'll be the thing that finally takes him out."

Skyler just shakes her head as they continue eating, "You're horrible. Horrible!"

The rest of the feast passes with no monumental incidents, which Bram is grateful for. He isn't sure how much more excitement he can take with all the talk of the tournament and Harry Potter. Still, he's glad to head to his common room and just work on homework for the rest of the night without having to worry too much about the events of the tournament. Really, the way it worked out, the tournament has no effect on him. He's okay with this, he really doesn't need the added stress.

Of course, stress finds a way as when he gets to the entrance of the Ravenclaw common room, Fred is waiting outside for him because apparently, Bram can never know peace. Strangely, though, Fred is without his brother.

"Why didn't you tell me you had a crush on Skyler?" Fred asked and out of all the things Bram could have expected to leave his mouth, that was about last on the list. In lieu of a response, Bram rolls his eyes and tries to approach the portrait to let himself inside, but Fred pulls him back. "C'mon, answer me, I thought we were best friends."

"I'm your brain, that doesn't make us friends," Bram sighs, but he knows it's a lie, "Also, I don't have a crush on Skyler, that's absurd. Where did you even get that idea?"

"You two are always hanging off each other and giggling at little inside jokes, I'm really just surprised I didn't see it sooner," Fred scoffed, crossing his arms as he leaned against the wall, "I just wish you'd have told me so I could like, help you win her over instead of watching you pine and suffer."

Oh, if only he knew how wrong he truly was.

"The idea of ever being romantically involved with Skyler makes me want to gag," Bram tries to be as blunt as possible because the last thing he wants is Fred trying to play matchmaker. That is really a disaster waiting to happen. "Trust me, we're just really good friends, Fred. You should know this by now, you've never questioned Skyler and I's closeness before and we've been friends for years, what's changed?"

Fred seemed to not have an answer for this as he chewed the inside of his cheek, shrugging, "I dunno, it just struck me as odd. You guys totally act like a couple, there's got to be a reason you're not into her. I mean, Skyler's beautiful and funny, why aren't you?"

"Because I'm not, can I please go into my common room now? Are you done judging my love life? If you think Skyler's so perfect, why don't you date her?" Bram asked, sounding exasperated. This really wasn't a conversation he felt like having and he knew there was little purpose to it.

"Because I don't want to date Skyler," the redhead shrugged, "I just can understand why someone would want to. I mean, it's fairly obvious she likes you."

Bram audibly laughed at this because, once again, Fred was so beyond the truth he had no idea. "Yeah, no, trust me, she knows that we're off-limits for each other."

"But why?" the boy continued and Bram was quickly crossing the line from annoyance to frustration. He had yet to see a genuine point to this conversation other than Fred bothering him for something he couldn't control. "I mean, it's not like you're gay or anything, why not just date Skyler?"

"Fred," Bram paused, swallowing the lump in his throat as he tried not to give himself away. "I'm not going to date Skyler. I harbor no romantic feelings for her and I think it's best you drop it because you don't fully understand what she and I have."

Fred looked at his tense expression, after a moment he muttered, "Bloody hell, Bram. Are you --"

"Fred." He met the boy's eyes, willing himself not to get angry because there was no way Fred could have known. He had been so careful and the last person he wanted to know seemed to be figuring it out. Fred seemed to understand what was left unsaid.

"Right, then, see you in class tomorrow or... or something, I don't know," Fred clapped the boy on the shoulder and left before he could say goodbye.

Bram stood in stony silence for a moment, willing himself not to cry. Once he was in the clear, he took a deep breath and entered the common room. He would deal with this later, there was nothing that could be done now. That was that.